Robert Benham

I can easily recommend (and have) RVC ENG/LIT instructor Robert Benham to any student who has placed into a below 100 level English course on the Placement (Entrance) Exam. To everyone else: seek out Shu-Huei Hendrickson, Penelope Blake, or Scott Fisher. I’m sure Mr. Benham was a fine junior high school teacher. His transition to the college-level academics was not a successful one. The major problem with the instructor’s lecture? He’s tired. It show’s up in every lecture. He is tired of the material. One thing he is not tired about: talking about himself. Every lecture always involved his IQ (120), his former students (how they benefited from him), or even his status. None of the topics outlined in his website are ever discussed in depth. There is no room for class discussion. The environment is maintained at an elementary level: seating chart, attendance requirements, and daily reminders of his definition of plagiarism. Actually, this is inaccurate. Even elementary schools take advantage of computers and Internet accessibility. Benham does not. The RVC ENG 103 course requires a $5.00 lab fee, so lecture might be held in a computer lab once a week. Benham never took advantage of these resources; students are still required to pay the lab fee. Which brings me to my final point. The student should notice that Robert Benham is one of the few English instructors who does not offer an online course. With the exception of two class members, everyone in my ENG 103 course agreed, it would be impossible for him to teach an online course, for the very reasons entailed in this review: he could not talk about himself, he could not maintain a rudimentary class environment, and he could not talk about himself.

Negative aspects: Specifics and outlines for class assignments were unfocused, confusing, and sometimes (unfortunately) useless. Talks to fast (but he will repeat and/or explain himself). Terrible habit of running off into pointless tangents during lecture. Narcissistic tendencies tend to distract the class and sometimes insult others. It should be mentioned that he can over do it with the Freudian humor. Very repetitive (i.e. plagiarism ideals).

Finer points: Instructor is more than willing to meet with a student outside of class. He will reconstruct the syllabus in mid-term, but usually to the students benefit (of course, if it’s all fat, what shouldn’t be trimmed away?). Holds a high regard to Shakespeare’s Hollywood adaptations. I would have preferred the literature alone – but beggars can’t be choosers.